DEAR ABBY: I just finished reading your June 9 column and am shocked at what I read. Your response regarding autism was way off base. You said, "Autism is a mental health disorder ... some people consider ... to be shameful."

BEIJING - Environmental officials say their efforts are starting to clear the haze above Beijing, while strong wind and some rain have also raised hopes of blue skies when the Olympic Games start in just over a week.

NEW YORK - Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison Tuesday for setting off a gambling scandal that tarnished the league's reputation and raised questions about the integrity of its officiating.

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Two alleged Indonesian terror leaders were headed to Iraq to seek help from al-Qaida, according to a seized laptop that indicates regional militants are cash-strapped but determined to rebuild international links, security officials say.

BAGHDAD - Loyalists within Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia network call it the ''martyrs' list,'' and it's long and growing: At least three dozen senior members killed in slayings or fighting since last summer and nearly 60 others detained.

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Department of Public Safety, seeking the public's help in capturing an arsonist who burned the Governor's Mansion, released snippets of video Tuesday showing a potential suspect.

RUIDOSO, N.M. - More than 75 people stranded by massive flooding in and around this mountain resort town still awaited rescue Tuesday, but spirits rose as missing people were accounted for and the region made it through a day without rain, authorities said.

If you feel you've started off on the wrong track in the year ahead, don't think you have to stay on that road. By continually trying something new, you'll stumble on a lifestyle that will be both exciting and fulfilling.

HARARE, Zimbabwe - South African President Thabo Mbeki insisted Tuesday that talks in Pretoria aimed at building a power-sharing government to resolve Zimbabwe's deadly political crisis were going well, despite reports of disagreements.

MANILA, Philippines - Investigators will not be able to review the cockpit voice recording of a Qantas jet's midair crisis because it was overwritten as the crew made a harrowing emergency landing, an official said Tuesday.